Pushta (पुष्टा, IAST: Puṣṭā) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu girl-name meaning “She who is nourished, full, and flourishing”. From the root puṣ, meaning to nourish, to cause to thrive, Puṣṭā describes Lakshmi as the fully flourishing one who embodies abundance in its most complete form.

Meaning, etymology & significance

The Sanskrit root puṣ underlies words meaning to nourish, fatten, and cause to grow luxuriantly, and puṣṭā as a feminine adjective signifies one who is fully nourished and blooming. As an epithet of Lakshmi, it reflects the Vedic conception of the goddess as the very principle of abundance and vitality that sustains all living beings. This name appears in the ashtottara to honor her role as the inexhaustible source of sustenance for the cosmos.

Pushta as an epithet belongs to Lakshmi in her aspect as goddess of nourishment and material well-being. The name is pronounced push-taa, with a short u and a soft aspirated sh sound.

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Scriptural source

Pushta appears in the Lakshmi Ashtottaram, among the sacred names of Lakshmi.

Astrology — nakshatra, rashi & numerology

By the standard Vedic correspondence between a name’s first syllable and the lunar mansion, Pushta aligns with the Hasta nakshatra, under the Kanya rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 9.